The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for a unified, cross-sector push to transition the Nigerian Startup Act (NSA) from policy framework to operational reality for local entrepreneurs, founders, and investors, reports ITREALMS.
Speaking at the NSA Incentives Activation Co-Creation Session in Abuja, organized by NITDA’s subsidiary, the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI); the agency emphasized that while passing the historic legislation in October 2022 was a major victory, its true measure of success lies in its tangible impact on everyday tech ventures.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, the National Coordinator of ONDI, Victoria Fabunmi, noted that Nigeria must urgently pivot from strategy formulation to execution.
While foundational steps, such as establishing the Startup Consultative Forum and deploying the digital startup portal, have established vital channels for engagement, Inuwa stressed that the ecosystem's ultimate evaluation of the law depends on how easily founders can access its statutory reliefs and resources.
“We want to go to the next level. We want to be able to say that the actors in our ecosystem have been able to benefit significantly from the legislation that has been passed—and it wouldn’t happen without everyone sitting in this room,” Inuwa stated.
The implementation of the NSA spans critical federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) across trade, finance, communications, digital economy, science, and technology.
According to NITDA, uniting these distinct institutions is vital to eliminating operational bottlenecks, aligning varied mandates, and establishing a seamless delivery pipeline for startup incentives.
In a context-setting presentation titled "Operationalising the Incentive Provisions of the Nigerian Startup Act," Elma Andah, Acting Lead for Strategy, Research, and Analytics at ONDI, revealed that the Act outlines more than 31 statutory incentives distributed across six core categories:
Tax & Fiscal Incentives: Reliefs designed to lower operational burdens and attract venture capital.
Regulatory Support: Streamlined compliance pathways and sandbox access.
Funding Access: Governance frameworks for the Startup Investment Seed Fund.
Exports & Trade: Mechanisms enabling cross-border expansion for local tech products.
Ecosystem Enablers: Support for hubs, accelerators, and incubators.
Capacity Building: Specialized skill development programs for tech talent.
Andah emphasized that because these incentives are deeply interconnected, execution requires structured collaboration across more than 15 government institutions.
“No single institution can deliver all these incentives alone,” Andah explained. “A startup seeking funding may simultaneously require tax incentives, while an enterprise expanding overseas needs regulatory clearances. Investors seeking tax credits depend directly on the startup labelling system. Coordination across MDAs is the only way forward.”
Strengthening Nigeria's Digital Frontier
Despite global macro-economic headwinds, Nigeria remains a major technology engine on the continent, boasting over 3,000 active startups and attracting approximately $410 million in venture funding in 2024.
To safeguard this momentum, ONDI highlighted key structural milestones already achieved under the NSA framework:
Active state-level engagements to drive sub-national adoption of the Act.
An operationalized Startup Support Engagement Portal.
Improved timelines for official startup labeling and registration.
Progress on the Startup Investment Seed Fund framework and regulatory sandbox guidelines.
Closing the session, NITDA urged participating institutions to establish explicit ownership over their designated incentives, simplify application procedures, and institute robust accountability mechanisms to ensure Nigerian tech ventures can scale globally.
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